Trio of Young Singers Choirs to Perform April 25

April 23, 2010

The Discovery Singers, Concert Choir and Youth Chorale will perform Sunday, April 25, at 3 p.m. in Yarborough Auditorium of Raley Chapel on the Oklahoma Baptist University campus. Shawnee Honor Choir will present its own concert on Sunday, May 2, in the same location. Both concerts are free and open to the public.

All four choirs are part of the Young Singers of Central Oklahoma (YSCO) in the OBU Preparatory Department.

Concert Choir is the middle-school choir in the OBU Preparatory Program. Concert Choir performs quality choral repertoire from various styles and time periods. Performance opportunities on the OBU campus as well as around the city of Shawnee provide students with valuable experience in the choral ensemble. Students learn to read and perform age-appropriate choral music with an emphasis on proper vocal technique in the choral setting. Discovery Singers, for non-auditioned singers ages 7 and up, is offered to help children develop their voices and prepare them for future choir success.

The YSCO Concert Choir and Discovery Singers are conducted by Casey Gerber, OBU assistant professor of music education and coordinator of vocal music education. Gerber teaches methods courses and supervises student teachers. He also directs the OBU praise ensemble David's Creed.

A native of Weatherford, Okla., Gerber earned a bachelor's degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, a master's degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University and his doctorate from the University of Mississippi. He completed Level I training in the Orff-Schulwerk method of music education at Southwestern Oklahoma State University and Level III training in the Kodály method of music education at the University of Oklahoma.

Youth Chorale, the senior choir of the Preparatory Department at OBU, performs on its own and, occasionally, with various other ensembles in an effort to grow and minister to others. The guitar ensemble, in its first concert here, is an example of that growth. Musical choices also reflect the group's desire to encourage musical growth. The spring concert includes spirituals, worship songs and songs with biblical texts. The members wrote and continue to demonstrate their mission statement: "The Youth Chorale is growing in ways musically, spiritually, and vocally. We are a Christian community with a bond that is strong. We are different voices, and, together, one song."

Youth Chorale is directed by Dr. Christy J. Talbott, OBU assistant professor in the music theory department. With degrees in the fields of education, religion, music theory and composition, her passion is student development motivated by a practical life application of theoretical concepts.

Talbott holds degrees from Hiram College, Kent State University, the University of South Florida and The Ohio State University. Choirs that have performed under her direction include the Youth Chorale, numerous church choirs of all ages and the Bisonettes, the Women's Glee Club of Oklahoma Baptist University. A full member of ASCAP, her music has been performed in large and small arenas. She is also a member of the College Music Society (CMS), the Society for Music Theory (SMT), The Ohio State University Association for Scholarship of Teaching (TOAST), and Pi Kappa Lambda.

Audition times for all Young Singers of Central Oklahoma choirs for 2010-11 will be Tuesday, May 11, from 3-5 p.m. in Raley Chapel on the OBU campus. YSCO is a community choir program dedicated to choral music excellence and open to children and youth ages 7 to 18. In weekly rehearsals, four choirs are offered for students of various age levels.

For more information, contact Conchita Hansford, director of the OBU Preparatory Department, at (405) 878-2319.